Carrier synchronization provides a means to improve the data throughput between the nodes of a communication link by removing the frequency offset that can impose limitations on the order of a modulation that is used. Typically, the higher the order of the modulation used, the more susceptible it is to perturbations that may be random or systematic in nature; the former typically arise from noise sources combining to generate a flat frequency, Gaussian amplitude in the first case and frequency offset in the second.
High-Precision Carrier Synchronization Technology (HPCST) in its original form is a time-domain approach whereby the average correlation between the in-phase and quadrature components of a signal is used to find where the applied frequency and phase offsets precisely cancel out the offset present in the signal, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 9,048,980, hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. These offsets are a consequence of the transmitter and receiver systems not being synchronized. Further theoretical background appears below.
While existing methods address blind synchronization in general, a need exists to specifically provide greater synchronization of mobile stations with base stations in cellular networks, such as in Long Term Evolution (LTE), which can thereby enable higher data throughput at higher speeds or increased service availability in the cell range.